


A Witch's Charm

by SpookiePie



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Don’t copy to another site, M/M, Magic, Slow Burn, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2019-10-06 10:51:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17343965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookiePie/pseuds/SpookiePie
Summary: What do you do when your life is in the gutter? For Axel, his answer is to swallow his pride and seek out the new witch in town to get a little supernatural help.





	1. Oh My Love, We've Lost Control

**Oh My Love, We’ve Lost Control**

The smell of the ocean was what greeted Axel when he opened the door and stepped into the small shop—salt and sand and sun and water carried on a breeze. And as he stood, just on the other side of the shop door, he swore he could hear the distant crashing of waves and cry of gulls.

Which was all very odd, considering he, and this shop by extension, resided in Radiant Garden, a city miles and miles from the ocean. A four hour drive at least, last time he checked.

 

Axel had heard about a witch moving into town weeks ago—at least a month, if not two. The news spread fast, spoken in hushed, excited whispers, or in loud, aghast gossip circles. Everybody talked.

He’d ignored it, at first. Not that he didn’t believe a witch had moved in. No, that was believable enough. While witches weren’t common in Radiant Garden, and none ever stayed long, it wasn’t completely unheard of for one to stop in for a while.

No. Rather, he didn’t care. Axel had more important things to worry about in his life than snooping around to catch a glimpse of the new town witch, like some curious child or nosy busybody.

But, well... now those problems in Axel’s life were starting to pile on a little too heavy.

It had started roughly six months ago when Saix left.

Axel wasn’t an idiot and he wasn’t blind. Of course he had known there’d been problems in their relationship. There was always friction between the two, and what had once been a healthy competitiveness had slowly turned into a mixture of oil and water. Axel always ran too hot and Saix too cold. If they weren’t butting heads, they were in a stubborn stalemate.

It... wasn’t _ideal._ Axel knew that. But, perhaps naively, he had believed it would work out eventually. He’d mellow out and Saix would learn to take the stick out of his ass.

Instead, Saix learned that he would be much happier in another relationship and moved himself out of their shared apartment just days after breaking the news to Axel.

Still reeling from the split, Axel found it impossible to concentrate on his work. His creativity felt lost, a potential death knell for any artist. Sculptures were left half finished or tossed completely. Modeling clay was left in the open, exposed and dried out. He hadn’t fired up the kiln in... who knew how long.

Not to mention the taxidermy projects he kept telling himself he’d get around to. He had a couple hides stored away at a very understanding friend’s place, all just waiting for a mount. And every day he put it off, Axel knew - he _knew_ \- he risked losing them. But he just couldn’t bring himself to work. To create.

Not that it mattered, of course. No one bought his work anyway.

It sat in his friend’s gallery, collecting metaphorical dust—gawked at, maybe even admired. But never purchased.

Maybe Saix was right when he said Axel was chasing a failed dream.

He supposed Saix wanted him to focus on his “real job.” Which, for the record, was faring no better than anything else at the moment.

While it was far from his dream job, Axel had thought working for the Radiant Garden Outreach and Beautification Committee would at least be somewhat enjoyable. Help the community! Build some fountains and gardens and playgrounds! That kind of thing!

Instead, it meant paperwork! Bureaucracy! Low pay!

And low pay was not a thing Axel needed in his life right now, what with Saix bailing on him and their rent, and Axel’s inability to afford breaking his lease.

With those worries, Axel didn’t even bother entertaining the idea of paying for the parts needed to fix his broken-down bike. (Because of course, _of course_ , it had to break in the midst of all this.) That left him stuck taking public transportation most days, which nearly doubled his commute time anywhere.

All this was to say, things were looking pretty shitty.

And so after a while, Axel found himself listening in on the gossip about the new witch that he had previously been so against taking part of. He listened to how the shop had sprung up overnight on the south end of the city. How it could be found down the alley by Kinsey Square. How everyone knew immediately it was a witch, by the way the shop appeared along a stretch of once empty wall, where it shouldn’t even exist, seeing as the space beyond the wall was already occupied by the interior of another building. How you’d know the place immediately by its little red door, and the blue lamp above it.

He especially listened to how the witch specialized in charms and spells to help people.

And that was how he found himself in the little shop. Shelves surrounded him, of all shapes and sizes, as though they’d all been picked from a yard sale. Some were cluttered with odds and ends and curiosities: bottles filled with strange liquids or seemingly random objects; fur, tree bark, black stones, and even what appeared to be an odd assortment of dice.

Other shelves were packed end to end with books, old and worn, and titled in languages Axel couldn’t even recognize, much less read.

There were plants, many potted and hung from the ceiling, others piled onto shelves along with everything else. Ivy and flowers overlooked one corner of the shop, circling what appeared to be a much larger planter filled with an assortment of mushrooms.

Above him, round globes were suspended weightlessly from the ceiling, without rope or chain or any manner of suspension. They were filled with a blue liquid and gave off a faint, cool glow. Inside them swam an assortment of small, colorful fish. But, instead of being cramped and contained in individual globes, the fish would swim to the edge of one and disappear, before reappearing in another across the room, seemingly able to swim between all of the globes freely.

Axel watched them for a moment, amazed, before his attention was pulled to the other side of the shop, where he could see light from the evening sun streaming in.

Not only should that have been impossible, what with the shop being nestled into the wall of another, much larger building. But as Axel drew closer to the opposite wall, he found himself looking out a pair of windows, open to the sprawling and sandy beach outside. A beach Axel knew was nowhere near Radiant Garden.

The sun was just beginning to set beyond the waves, casting the sand and the water in a warm, red glow. To the left, a long bridge jutted out and connected to a smaller patch of land, where a curved palm tree swayed in the breeze. To the right, there was a dock with two little boats bobbing gently on the water as the waves rolled in and back out again.

Axel wondered for a moment if it was a trick. An illusion or special installation. But a warm breeze drifted in, carrying the smell of the ocean with it, and ruffling his hair, and Axel was convinced he was staring out onto a real beach.

After a minute of simply staring, Axel decided he should probably find what he came for. Turning to his right, and sparing one last look out the windows, Axel wandered further into the shop. After passing a few more shelves, each as densely packed as the last, he finally reached what appeared to be the front desk.

A large, wooden counter sat at the end of the shop. It was cleaner than the shelves, but still had a number of oddities sprawled across its surface. An old, antique-looking cash register sat off to one side, and Axel wasn’t sure if it actually saw any use or if it was just for show.

To the left, just beyond the desk, a tight, spiral staircase made of steel wound up to... well, Axel wasn’t sure. After the windows, it could go anywhere, in his opinion.

And then, there, behind the center of the desk, sat the first human life Axel had seen in the place.

He was a young man, somewhere around Axel’s age, if he had to guess. He had sun-kissed skin, and sandy blond hair that swept up to one side. He wore a black button up made out of some airy, thin material, and black bands adorned his fingers and wrists.

He was currently sitting, slumped over a large, open tome, one hand propping up his chin while the other fiddled with the edges of the page. He didn’t even bother to look up from his reading when he addressed Axel.

“What can I help you with?”

Axel paused, simply taking in the sight. He wasn’t sure exactly what he had expected a witch to look like. A wizened old crone or something maybe? But not some kid who looked so surprisingly... normal.

Realizing he’d been silent a bit too long, Axel cleared his throat.

“Ah, yeah uh.. are you...?”

“The witch? Yes,” he answered, as if it were a question he’d heard many times before. (And Axel suspected he probably had.) Finally he looked up from his reading, and _oh_ , those were some of the bluest eyes Axel had ever seen. “Now. What can I help you with?”

That, again, gave Axel pause because _oh god_ , what had he come here for?

“I... need help..?” he stumbled.

“That’s usually why people come here, yes. Help with what?”

“...everything?”

The witch leveled Axel with a flat look and slowly closed the book he had been reading. “You’re gonna have to be more specific than that. Despite what you may think, I can’t actually magically help with... “everything,”” he said, complete with air quotes. “You have to be more specific. Look. What is one thing you could use help with the most right now?”

Axel didn’t have to think long about that one. Despite everything wrong at the moment, one thing was the most pressing.

“Money. I... need help with money.”

“That I can do.” The witch nodded and held out a hand, palm up. “That’ll be one hundred gold coins.”

Axel balked. “One... _hundred_ gold coins? You gotta be shitting me!” Shock quickly turned to annoyance, and Axel lifted a hand to rub the bridge of his nose. “I _just_ told you I need money, and you’re gonna charge me an arm and a leg for it? You’re fucking kidding me.”

For the second time, the blond leveled Axel with a rather unimpressed look.

“That’s how it works. You want to receive prosperity, then you have to be willing to sacrifice prosperity first. Nothing’s free, especially not a charm. Now. One hundred gold coins, or you can leave.”

And with that, he reopened the old book and went back to his reading. No nonsense, no haggling, no room for debate.

Axel was stunned silent for a moment. This could be a scam, right? It had to be. Weasel money out of people for fake charms and spells, then disappear in a few days. This kid didn’t even _look_ like a witch. (Not that Axel knew what a witch looked like.) Surely it was a scam.

Axel was ready to turn and leave right there, but the sound of a gull’s cry stopped him.

The windows to the beach were real, as were the floating globes of fish above their heads. _Some_ skilled magic had to be going on in this place. Someone here, be it the boy behind the counter or someone behind the scenes, could do real magic. And if they could do that, they could help Axel.

And if they really, truly could help him, perhaps one hundred coins was a small price to pay.

Of course, it’s not like he simply carried that kind of money on his person.

“What time do you close?”

The blond slowly looked back up from his book. “I close whenever I want. But...” he eyed Axel up and down, glanced off to an old clock hanging on the wall, then his sharp gaze returned to Axel once again. “I’ll give you till eight tonight. Eight-ish, at least.”

“Okay.” Axel nodded and took a step back. “Okay, I’ll... be back. By eight. Okay.” And with that, he turned and hurried out the door. 

Before he knew it, he was running full speed down the street. It was already a little after six, and Axel lived up on the north side of town. Without his bike, he was stuck with using the public trains.

Already doing the math in his head, Axel knew it would take at least an hour and a half for him to get to his apartment and back. Assuming there weren’t any delays along the way, he might just be able to make it.

Axel ran full speed down the street, dodging pedestrians and other obstacles as he made for he nearest train station. Upon entering the station, he wove his way in and out of the crowd, nearly knocking over a few people along the way.

After apologizing hastily to a put-out old woman, Axel dug his train pass from his wallet, and flew through the gates and onto his waiting train, mere seconds before the door closed.

A few passengers shot him startled looks and inched away from the tall, manic-looking redhead. 

Axel didn’t care. He made the train and was on his way back home. 

A few stops and transfers later, and Axel was back in his neighborhood.

Luckily, his apartment was just a block away from the station, an old complex comprised of three, red-brick high rises, set in a semi-circle. Axel’s place, specifically, was on the 21st floor of the middle building, with a view of the little courtyard nestled between the three.

They were old, but pricey. Probably due to them claiming some kind of ‘historical’ status, which Axel suspected was fake, or at the very least highly exaggerated.

Upon arrival, he wasted no time in catching the elevator up, tapping his foot impatiently as it crawled upwards floor by floor. When the doors finally opened, he flew down the hall and skidded to a stop in front of his apartment door, fumbling his keys in his rush to unlock it.

Finally inside, he raced around the place in a flurry, trying to find every stash of coins he had. In the end, he found only ninety three gold coins. But, after scouring under the couch and in every coat pocket he had, he also managed to find enough silver ones to make up the difference. 

He hoped that would be good enough.

Glancing at his watch, Axel cursed when he saw it was already 7pm. Seeing as they wouldn’t fit in a wallet or his pockets, he tossed the plundered coins haphazardly into a backpack, and sped out the door once again. 

In short time, he was back at the station and hopping onto a train to take him all the way back from where he came.

With a moment of peace, where he could do nothing but wait for the train to reach its destination, Axel had a moment to reflect on his actions.

What the _hell_ was he even doing?

Trusting a witch to... what? Weave him some magical spell to help him with his finances? Running from one end of town to the other like a madman to get what the boy asked for? Honestly, who even took gold currency anymore? Old folks and old fashioned places and... 

And witches, apparently.

The heavy jangling in his backpack was like a mocking taunt, reminding Axel that maybe, just maybe, he was an idiot.

But, he was an idiot who’d already come this far. Why turn back now? Besides, half of the coins had been Saix’s anyway. Stashed away for _‘when we go somewhere that still only takes gold, Axel.’_ Which he had usually translated as _‘When you finally take me somewhere classy for once, Axel. ‘_

Serves the man right for leaving them all behind.

By the time Axel found himself back in the little alley, it was 7:45.

For a moment, he’d been worried the shop would be gone. Disappeared in the time it took him to get from one end of town to the other. Or worse, a figment of his hopeful imagination.

Maybe it would have been best if it was.

But, sure enough, the little red door was still where he had first found it, the blue lamp above it still lit, eerier in the fading light of evening.

Axel paused at the door. Last chance to back out. Turn around. Go home. Save one hundred gold coins. Not make a deal with a shady witch in a back alley.

Axel stepped inside.

The light in the shop was dimmer than before, as it seemed the sun was nearly set on the beach, just as it was in Radiant Gardens. Now, the small space was lit more from the floating globes above, casting everything in a dim, blue glow.

Instead of marveling at it again, Axel made a beeline for the front desk, where the blond witch still remained, though his back was turned and he seemed in the process of closing up.

Without greeting or warning, Axel unzipped the backpack and dumped the stash of coins directly on the counter, sending them clattering loudly across the old wood.

The witch jumped and spun around, looking startled as he took in the sight of the little treasure trove now on his desk. He stared at the pile of coins for a moment, before once again turning those blue eyes back up at Axel.

“You came back,” he breathed after a pause, sounding surprised.

“Well... yeah. Said I would.” Axel shrugged. “Why? Did you not expect me to come back?”

The witch shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly, and looked back down at the coins as he began the process of counting them out.

“Lotta people who just wanna make a quick buck or find a get rich quick scheme don’t like the high entry fee. Most just leave and never return.”

“Yeah, well...” Axel rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, focusing on the old clock hung on the wall instead. “I don’t want a get rich quick scheme. I just... wanna pay my rent.”

There was a pause in the sliding of coins across the counter, as the witch seemed to contemplate something. Whatever it was though, he made no comment.

Finally, he finished, seeming satisfied as he gathered up the coins as best he could. Turns out, the old cash register at the counter worked, as he popped open its tray and unceremoniously dumped the coins inside, save for one. Axel couldn’t help but notice that instead of clattering into a pile in the drawer, they seemed instead to disappear entirely upon entering the tray.

Nodding, the blond closed the drawer to the cash register and turned his attention back to his newest customer.“Alright, that’ll do it.”

At that, he grabbed the single remaining coin, circled around the counter and motioned for Axel to follow as he wandered into the packed aisles.

Axel followed slowly behind, watching intently but keeping a safe distance to let the witch do... whatever it is he was going to do, uninterrupted.

For his part, the blond man wandered the aisles, scouring the shelves. He mumbled to himself a little and picked up a few trinkets now and then, only to change his mind and put them back down, dissatisfied with his choice.

“Ah. I know...” he finally murmured, and turned down the next aisle. There, he pulled down a large, glass jar, filled with all manner of small stones and pebbles. He held it out to Axel, lid open, and gave it a small, encouraging shake.“Pick one.”

Axel eyed the jar, then the blond, and then the jar once again. Slowly, unsure of why he was doing this, Axel reached into the jar and dug around a little. Was he supposed to be looking for something in particular? Was this a test? 

After some digging, Axel finally pulled out a stone he was happy with. It was an almost metallic gray looking thing, polished and smooth. It was small in his palm, and cool to the touch, but surprisingly weighty for its size.

Seemingly satisfied with his decision, the witch nodded and set the jar back in its place on the shelf. Before Axel had a chance to ask about the reason for all this, the stone was snatched from his palm.

The witch held the stone in one hand and the single gold coin in the other.

“One prosperity charm comin’ right up.” With that, he brought his two hands together, cupping them and holding tightly. He closed his eyes, and a warm breeze whipped through the small shop. It ruffled their hair and clothes and once again brought with it the smell of the ocean. A seemingly electric current buzzed through the air, a strange energy Axel couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t frightening or unsettling. Just... different. Like the whole shop, the very air around them, vibrated in anticipation.

Then it was over.

As the wind died down, so too did the energy it came with. The witch opened his eyes and unclasped his hands. The coin was gone completely and instead of the rounded pebble Axel had chosen, in the man’s palm sat a ring made from the same metallic gray stone.

“Here, wear this,” he said, offering the trinket back to Axel.

Axel took it, raising a brow as he turned it over in his hand. “This is it?”

“That’s it.” The blond nodded, then turned and began to wander back through the aisles. Axel followed. Turned out, he was being led back to the front door. Fair enough, it was closing time. Or, at least around the time when the witch had said he’d be closing for the day.

“What... do I do with it?” he asked, which earned him a skeptical look. And, ok, maybe it was sort of a dumb question.

“You wear it. Put it on, and don’t take it off. The effects should last for the next 24 hours.”

Axel’s head snapped up, surprised. “24 hours? That’s _it?_ It doesn’t last any longer? I mean... it can’t possibly do anything in that short of time!”

Nonplussed, the blond shrugged and opened the door, none too subtly hinting for Axel to leave. Despite his indignation, Axel felt himself shuffling out into the dim light of the alley. The blond held the door open, casting Axel in the blue glow of his shop.

“You won’t need it longer than that. If you’re unsatisfied, come back tomorrow. Or don’t.” And with that, he shut the door, and the blue lamp beside it flickered out in a snap.

Axel was left standing slack jawed, staring at the red door and holding his new ring tightly in his fist, wondering if he’d just been scammed out of one hundred gold coins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who cares, the stone Axel chooses is Hematite!  
>  And the title of this chapter is from the song 'Control' by Autoheart.
> 
> Thank you to cameronclaire for being my immensely helpful beta! ♥ This is my first foray into writing in a long, long time so I know it's rough around the edges, but I hope people like it. Wanted to get it up before KHIII dropped!
> 
> Thanks for reading!♥


	2. I Am Gonna Make It Through This Year If It Kills Me

**I Am Gonna Make It Through This Year If It Kills Me**

Axel awoke the next morning to the sound of his alarm. Set for eight A.M. sharp, the clock on his bedside table let him know it was time to wake in the form of a little dancing and singing chocobo.

Axel groaned and suppressed the urge to hurl his pillow at it.

Instead, he reached out from beneath his blankets, fumbled blindly until he found the wretched thing, and shut off the alarm. Reluctantly, he poked his head out from the tangle of blankets and squinted in the bright sunlight that filtered into his room. With a yawn, he rubbed at his face and felt something hard and cool to the touch graze his skin.

Axel pulled his hand back and held it in front of his face, blinking a few times to get his tired eyes to focus. He was met with the sight of a simple, metallic gray band on his right ring finger.

_Ah,_ that was right.

Memories of the previous evening came back to him, and Axel let out a heavy sigh. Frustrated at the time, and thinking he might have just gotten played, Axel nearly threw the ring into a nearby gutter. He didn’t, of course, but the temptation had been there. Instead, Axel decided he might as well wear the thing for a day. If it didn’t work after that, he could take his complaint back to the witch. Assuming the man hadn't skipped town with his fraudulent products.

But, if he tossed it before even giving it a chance, he really would only have himself to blame if the charm didn’t work. So, he’d put it on right before crawling into bed. 

Eight hours, and so far nothing to his knowledge had changed. But, the day still had about sixteen hours to prove him wrong.

In the meantime, Axel’s life didn’t stop, so slowly—very slowly—he crawled out of bed and ambled into the bathroom.

He went through his usual morning routine: shower, dry off, get dressed. A little extra time was spent, as usual, on styling his red hair just the way he liked it, and applying a bit of eyeliner. Axel took pride in his looks. Not as much as he did when he was in high school and college, but he hadn’t completely given up on looking his best when going out. 

At least no one could say Saix left him because Axel had let himself go.

Putting that somewhat depressing thought aside, Axel grabbed himself a bagel and his messenger bag, and was out the door.

A thirty minute train ride took him to work. The Radiant Garden Outreach and Beautification Committee was located in the west part of town, on the edge of the business district in what had once been a private elementary school. Though smaller than most public elementary schools, it was still a bit large for them, considering they only had five full-time employees and three part-time interns. But it meant everyone had room to spread out, and they had plenty of supply and storage space. Even if some rooms—usually the ones on the 2nd floor—went unused entirely.

When Axel entered through the front doors, he could already smell freshly brewed coffee wafting in from what had once been the teacher’s lounge, and was now their shared kitchen space. Leon must already be in. That man lived on the stuff, to the point that Axel was pretty sure at least a quarter of Leon’s meals were coffee alone. Axel wasn’t one to complain, however, considering it meant he got free caffeine out of it most days.

Sure enough, as he passed one of the classroom-turned-offices, Leon was already at his desk typing away at his computer. They waved to each other wordlessly as Axel passed by on his way to the break room. After helping himself to a cup of coffee, he made his way to the next room down the hall, where his workstation sat.

Repurposed from an old classroom, it was a long, rectangular room, with dark, hardwood floors and large windows on one side, which filled the space with sunlight. One end of the room held a left-behind chalkboard, which Axel and his office partner took the liberty of filling with new doodles and drawings every couple weeks. None of them were ever very good, which his coworker constantly teased him about, and to which Axel constantly tried to explain that drawing and sculpture were two very different artistic skill sets.

Two large desks sat, one on each end of the room, turned to face each other. Both had a computer and were piled with stacks of books, binders, and important paperwork. Each also sported a few knickknacks belonging to their respective owners. His office mate—Yuffie—like to keep an array of little ninja figures, which she routinely got from blind boxes. The duplicates often made their way to Axel’s desk, where they sat amongst a collection of figures from Axel’s favorite monster movies. There had, at one point, been a small photo of him and Saix taped to the side of his monitor, but at some point over the last few months, he’d quietly taken it down. If Yuffie had noticed, she hadn’t mentioned it. 

Sitting down at his desk which faced the monstrous chalkboard behind his partner’s, Axel sipped his coffee and watched his computer screen flicker to life. He was going through that morning’s emails when he heard the front doors open, and familiar chatter echoed down the building’s hallway. The owners of the voices went about their morning routine. One stopped at Leon’s office to chat, while another—Tifa—continued down the hall, waving to Axel as she passed by, but opting not to stop, as her arms were full of a heavy looking bankers box. Axel would offer to help her, but by now he knew damn well Tifa was twice as strong as him.

A few minutes later, his boss poked her head through the door.

“Good morning, Axel!” she greeted, cheery as ever, and Axel couldn’t help but smile back. 

Aerith was dressed in pink, as she so often was, and her long hair was done up in her signature braid. As she stepped into the room, she glanced at the empty desk across from Axel and hummed thoughtfully. “Yuffie’s not in yet?”

“Did you expect her to be?”

“Nope!” Aerith chirped, and Axel chuckled at the joke they shared every morning. Yuffie was notoriously ten to fifteen minutes late every day, and everyone knew it. She was a diligent worker though, so they all just let it slide. 

“Well, when she gets in, you let her know we have a meeting at eleven, okay? We have a lot to talk about today!”

Axel arched a brow as he regarded his boss. “Oh? Big news?”

“Hm, something like that!” She nodded, regarding him, her smile and voice softening. “By the way, Axel, how are you doing?” 

When Saix had left, Axel called in sick for the week, wanting his time to wallow and hide away from the world outside. Aerith was a good woman and a good employer, so Axel had felt he owed her the truth once he returned to work. She’d been understanding—of course she had been—and she took the time to check in on him now and again, which he was grateful for. He was also grateful that she had apparently kept that information to herself. Much as he liked his coworkers, Axel didn’t want the turmoil in his love life to be spread around the entire office.

Axel blew out a small breath and gave a half shrug. “I’ve been better, but... you know, I’ve also been worse. I’m not where I was six months ago, at least.” 

Was that the truth? Hard to say, even for Axel. He wasn’t the mess he was six months ago, sure. But he’d since settled into a cold stagnation. And was that really better? Or just a different phase of bad?

Questions for another time.

Aerith nodded, understanding, and gave his shoulder a small pat. “Well, just continue to take it one day at the time. Now,” she shifted back into her cheerier demeanor, mercifully letting the subject drop. “Don’t forget, meeting at eleven!”

“You got it, boss!” Axel gave her a mock salute and watched as she left his office, before he returned to his work. Roughly fifteen minutes later, he was joined by Yuffie, who entered the room with her usual whirlwind of energy. The two shared their usual pleasantries, Axel informed her of the meeting, and they got to work.

When eleven o’clock rolled around, Axel was pulled from his work by a rolled up ball of paper flying at him and bouncing off his head.

“Hey!” Yuffie called from her side of the office, already rising from her desk. “Boss lady said we had a meeting, right? We should probably get movin’!”

Axel glanced at the clock on his computer and leaned back in his chair, stretching and groaning as his joints popped. “Yeah, sure. Lez go.”

A few classrooms over was the room they had designated as their main meeting space. Similar in construction to Axel and Yuffie’s office, this room had a large oval table at its center, surrounded by a collection of mismatched chairs.

Tifa had carried in the box from earlier and set it at the head of the table, and was currently leaning on it, chatting quietly with Leon, who was seated beside her and nursing what was probably his third cup of coffee.

People sometimes remarked that with his looks and demeanor—spiky red hair, facial tattoos, and generally sarcastic attitude—Axel didn’t seem like the kind of guy to work for a place that was all about bettering and giving back to the community. To which Axel just had to laugh and wonder what they’d think of Leon, with the jagged scar between his eyes and an expression that Yuffie had dubbed his ‘resting pissed off face.’

Hell, even Axel had been scared shitless of the guy at first, ‘til he realized the toughest thing about Leon was his exterior.

Tifa on the other hand could snap a man in half, if she was pushed far enough, and Axel was thankful every day that she liked him.

The four shared a little bit of small talk, before Aerith finally entered the room. She almost always carried herself with a cheery demeanor, but Axel couldn’t help notice the extra pep in her step this morning.

“So, what’s up?” Yuffie asked as she plopped herself down in one of the seats.

Aerith joined Tifa at the head of the table and graced them all with a wide grin. “Big news! Good big news. The city has finally approved our request to restore and renovate that old lot down south!”

Leon sat forward a little, interest piqued. “Really? They liked the proposals we sent them?”

Aerith nodded, eliciting a ‘hell yeah!’ from Yuffie.

The lot down south had been an eyesore for years. It had once held a couple historic buildings, but unfortunately, a fire had taken them out—an accident, of course, faulty wiring in one of the old buildings. It had been a loss for the city, and while the businesses there had been insured, they opted not to rebuild—better, cheaper to just move elsewhere. 

Meanwhile, the burnt husks sat for a month, before the city finally got around to bulldozing them. That had at least gotten rid of the safety hazard, but since then, the old lot had been left empty and abandoned. Aerith and co. wanted to bring a little life back to that area, restore it somehow and make it beautiful for the residents down south once again. They’d sent in a couple proposals to the city nearly a year ago, and had been waiting to hear back ever since.

“Wait,” Axel raised his hand. “So... which of the proposals did they like?”

“That’s the funny thing,” Aerith said, moving to open the box Tifa had hauled in. “They liked all of them! I was worried they hadn’t liked any, considering how long they took to get back to us. But it looks like we’ll have our choice as to how to renovate the site!” She began to pull out folders and documents from the box—their approved proposals and plans. “They even approved the clause for some of the grant to go towards employee salary raises. I know things have been tight for all of us lately so, surprised as I am, I’m not going to complain!” She graced them all with a softened smile. “You’ve all worked really hard lately, and I appreciate all of you sticking around through this slump. This is the least you deserve.”

Aerith continued to talk, but it was momentarily lost on Axel. A small glint of light caught his eye, and he looked down to realize it was the stone ring on his finger. The light pouring in from the windows glinted off its polished surface. And it may have merely been his imagination, but Axel swore he could feel a slight tingling sensation where the ring sat against his skin.

Maybe it was a coincidence. A happy accident. Confirmation bias. But Axel couldn’t deny how perfectly things had just fallen into place. Eerily so. Axel was equal parts skeptical and suspicious. And—though he wasn’t ready to admit it yet—delighted.

He blinked a few times as he came back to reality. Aerith and Tifa had spread papers all over the table, already starting to detail rough plans for the abandoned lot. Like his coworkers, Axel jumped in with gusto, excited to finally have free reign to do what it is their business was meant to do. 

At some point, Aerith bought lunch for all of them, and the small team spent the rest of the day hashing out their plans.

Axel didn’t even realize how quickly the day went by, until Tifa spoke up. 

“Alright, guys!” she said, standing from her seat and stretching. “I’d say that’s probably enough for one day. You’ve all got your assignments for tomorrow morning. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine will be coming in around noon, so we’ll meet again to catch them up and continue some preliminary planning. In the meantime, finish up whatever loose ends you have today, then get on home!”

Axel stood from the table and gathered up his papers and notes. He had just a few emails to answer, and some things to add to his to-do list, but once those were done he was a free man.

As he shut his computer down for the day, he gathered up his messenger bag and bid Yuffie, still hard at work, farewell.

Stepping out into the late afternoon’s waning sun, Axel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He didn’t yet know what his raise would be; that would be discussed with Aerith in private later. But just knowing one was coming was a relief, and he already felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

As he walked down the street towards his train stop, Axel felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Fishing it out, he checked the caller ID, and smiled at the name lit up on his screen.

“Hey Nami,” he greeted, lifting the phone to his ear.

“Axel!” came the familiar, warm voice from the other end. “It’s been too long. How are you doing? I’m not interrupting you at work, am I?”

Axel chuckled and shook his head, althgouth Namine couldn’t see it. “No, no, I just left a few minutes ago. I’m on my way home now. To what do I owe the pleasure?” As he reached the train station, Axel slipped through the gates and headed for his designated platform just in time; his train would be arriving in moments.

“Oh, just checking in on my friend,” she hummed, voice light and airy, “who doesn’t visit. Who doesn’t call. Who won’t even write his dear friend once in awhile.” She sighed dramatically, and Axel just laughed. “Hm, I _do_ have some news for you though.”

“Oh?” Axel raised a brow. He could practically hear the smile in his friend’s voice. “Do tell.”

“Well...” Namine paused for effect, but didn’t last long in her excitement. “Axel, someone came in today and bought one of your sculptures!”

Axel was stunned silent. His knees felt suddenly weak and the noise of the bustling station around him faded away. 

Truthfully, he’d nearly given up hope on anyone wanting his art, despite Namine’s constant reassurances. _‘Give up on your foolish dreams’_ some wicked part of his mind would whisper, late at night, when the world was dark and Axel was alone. To think someone wanted one of his pieces enough to actually buy it? Axel was simultaneously struck by the feeling of being punched in the chest, and of being filled with giddy delight. 

He must have been silent a little too long, because he came back Namine timidly calling his name with worry in her voice. Axel cleared his throat, and when he spoke his own voice was shaky, on the verge of cracking. “S-sorry, they what? They... someone _bought_ one?”

“Right on the spot,” she replied, and Axel could hear the soft smile in her voice. “I knew someone out there would love your work, Axel. It just needed time. Of course, you know that means you’ll have to actually come in and see me to pick up your check. At your convenience, of course.”

Axel chuckled again. “Right, right, I’ll make sure to do that. Who knows, maybe I can even treat you to lunch or something!”

She made a sound like an objection.

“It’s the least I can do. I mean, I guess.” He grinned as she scoffed playfully, then his voice softened, sobering. “Thanks, Namine. I... thank you. I’ll come see you soon.”

“Good,” came her gentle reply. “Now, I’ll let you go. Get home safe, and I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

They said their goodbyes and Axel hung up. As he looked down at his phone, his eyes were once again drawn to the ring. It sat there innocently, as if it had nothing to do with all this, but Axel swore he could once again feel that tingling sensation, that gentle buzz of energy. He looked long and hard at the jewelry, but it offered up no secrets.

In time, his train came, racing down the tracks and coming to a stop with a hiss. But Axel didn’t move. Even as passengers shuffled around him, boarding and exiting the train, he didn’t move. Even as the doors slid closed, Axel remained glued to the spot. And as it zipped off to its next destination, it did so without him.

He moved only when the train heading southbound pulled into its stop behind him. Axel spun around then, and stepped aboard. He did so without much thought. Impulsive, just like the day before.

And, just like the day before, Axel rode the train all the way down south. He got off at the stop near Kinsey Square, and headed in the direction of a newly familiar alley. Each step he took came a little faster than the last, until he was sprinting down the street. When the little red door came into sight, Axel ran right inside, losing all hesitation he’d had on his previous visits. He flew through the cramped aisles until he came to a stop, back at the old wooden desk he’d already found himself in front of twice before.

His entrance must have made a bit of a commotion, because the witch was already there, and already looking up to see who had just burst into his store. When he saw Axel, recognition crossed his face, but it was quickly replaced with a guarded, almost suspicious look.

And yeah okay, that was probably fair. Axel hadn’t left in the greatest of moods the night before, and now here he was bursting back into the place the next day like a madman.

Axel wasn’t thinking about that, however. His thoughts were jumbled and excited and in his frenzy he eloquently blurted out,“It worked!”

A beat of silence hung between them before he figured he should clarify. “I mean, it... the charm! The—the charm, it worked!” He panted, still trying to catch his breath from his mad sprint.

The tension in the witch’s shoulders eased, and a small smirk graced his features, which had previously only graced Axel with expressions ranging from uninterested to bored. “Of course it did,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world—as if he hadn’t practically performed a miracle for Axel.

He moved as if to go back to whatever he’d been doing before Axel’s interruption, but stopped. “Ah. But, if you’re here looking for another one, no can do. I only provide one charm per customer, per week. And you can only get a prosperity charm once every three months.”

“Oh. Oh, uh, nah, that’s not why I’m here,” Axel said, shaking his head. “I’m good with money now. I just came back to... well... thank you?” Axel stammered, suddenly feeling a little silly for having rushed all the way back to the witch’s shop for that. But, it was the truth. “I mean it. This... you have no idea how much you helped me just now. So, thank you.”

The witch truly looked surprised at that, blue eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. Finally, he cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, um, well... you don’t really have to thank me. I just did my job is all.”

“Right. Still though...”

The blond waved away whatever Axel had been ready to say next, and Axel wondered if he had managed to fluster the previously calm and collected witch.

“Don’t mention it. I’m uh... happy to do it. If you need anything else, feel free to come back. But, you know... next week.”

“Right.” Axel nodded. Then, impulsively, “What’s your name?”

Another beat of silence, and once again those surprised, blue eyes were directed at Axel. And just as he began to worry that the witch wouldn’t answer, he did.

“Roxas. My, uh, my name is Roxas.”

“Roxas. _Roxas._ Right, well, thanks again, Roxas.” Not wanting to overstay his welcome, or make things even more awkward, Axel stepped back, moving to leave the shop. “I’ll see ya around.”And with a small wave, which the witch returned, Axel turned and left the small shop feeling lighter than he had in months.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Axel wasn't ripped off after all! Whether or not this solves all his problems remains to be seen. :3c
> 
> Thanks again to cameronclaire for being my wonderful beta, and to everyone who has read this so far! ♥  
> I'm not on a writing schedule so def don't expect a new chapter every Sunday. ESP after KHIII finally drops lol  
> Chapter title comes from 'This Year' by The Mountain Goats


	3. Time Heals When Both Wheels Slide Off the Shoulder

**Time Heals When Both Wheels Slide Off the Shoulder**

At the twenty four hour mark, the ring disappeared. It cracked and crumbled off Axel’s finger, turning to dust before it even hit the floor.

And Axel was perfectly fine with that. It had lasted the allotted twenty four hours and had far exceeded his expectations.

But, perhaps in part due to the charm’s effects, the next couple weeks were some of the busiest in his recent memory. Preliminary work on the empty lot had begun. Axel’s team had agreed on their favorite proposal, and then, of course, there were outlines to be drawn up and decisions to be made. 

The plan was to open up the space, and make it a recreational spot the public could use. A large fountain would be the centerpiece of the property. There would be benches and seating areas interspersed with greenery: bushes, flowerbeds, and a couple trees for shade. After some deliberation, it was decided to rip up the concrete that had been there and replace it with a mix of grassy patches and cobblestone paths. And those were just the broad plans.

There was also the matter of seeking out services and supplies. They’d need construction workers, and people skilled in plumbing and electricity. Landscapers and gardeners too. The team would do as much hands-on stuff as they could, but they knew when to call in the professionals. So, much of their time over the following weeks was spent searching out said services, contacting them, and comparing rates.

In all the hustle and bustle, Axel still hadn’t made it to Namine’s place. He _did_ remember to send her texts from time to time, letting her know he hadn’t forgotten about her, nor was he avoiding her. He really _was_ determined to see her soon. Axel just suddenly had a lot on his plate.

Especially with the newest project Aerith dropped in his lap.

“You got a minute, Axel?” she’d asked one Friday afternoon, about half an hour before Axel was set to go home.

“Sure thing, boss.” He nodded, then stood as the woman indicated she wanted to speak with him in her office. That made Axel a little nervous, but Aerith was all warm smiles, so he tried to tell himself it couldn’t be anything bad.

Aerith’s office, like the others, was a repurposed classroom. However, unlike the rest of them, who shared their space with at least one other person, Aerith had the room to herself. Her desk was placed on the far left of the room, and a dusty pink antique loveseat and coffee table sat in the center, beneath the room’s window. Along the opposite wall was a long row of filing cabinets, many of which were stuffed to the brim with various important papers and documents.

Of course, the most noticeable thing about the office were the flowers. Aerith kept the room filled with them. Vases sat on her desk, and the coffee table, and even atop a couple of the cabinets. There were hanging planters strung up in front of the window, and the wall behind her desk even had a couple wall mounted pots. It all smelled amazing, though Axel was thankful he didn’t have allergies.

_“Flowers were my first love!”_ Aerith had once told him. _“I liked how they could rejuvenate and bring new life to anything. I guess that’s sort of how I got into beautification and restoration work!”_

As they entered the room, Aerith circled around her desk and motioned for Axel to follow. Spread across her work area were the still-rough blueprints for the lot. They were still hammering out some of the finer details, but they had the basic layout and landmarks drawn out. “So, Axel, as you know, we thought it would be a nice addition to add some art pieces around the property: pieces from local artists, to celebrate Radiant Garden’s art and culture.”

Axel nodded. Oh, he knew alright. As a graduate from the city’s art academy, he had been tasked with looking for artists around town to commission to create something for the lot.

“Well, I’ve looked over the budget and talked with Tifa, and we’re looking at having three installations.” She pointed down to the blueprints, where a red marker was placed on the south side of the lot. “Here, the property butts up against another building. The owners have graciously given us permission to create some kind of mural along that wall, so that’s the plan there. Over here,” she moved to point at the north eastern part of the property, “we were thinking it would be nice to have some kind of... moving or even interactive installation. We’re a little less sure about what we want with this one, so it will likely depend on who you can find.”

Axel nodded, already mentally running through a couple options for the two projects.

“As for the last one...” Aerith pointed to a spot on the western side of the lot, and looked back up at Axel with a spark in her eyes. “We want a sculpture. And, if you agree, we want you to do it.”

Axel nodded again, then stopped as he registered what Aerith had said. He looked back up at the woman, wide-eyed. “Me? As in.... _me?_ ”

Aerith chuckled. “Yes, _you._ You’re an important member of this team, and it would be an honor to have your work as one of the art pieces in the square. Only if you want to, of course.”

“ _Yes!_ Yes, of course! Yes,” Axel blurted, a little breathlessly. Aerith didn’t know he’d been in the throes of an artistic slump for the past few months, and Axel wasn’t about to tell her now.

Aerith’s smile widened. “Wonderful! I’m sure whatever you create will be fantastic. There’s no rush at the moment, of course. Things are still in the early phase; I know you haven’t even contacted other artists yet. But, I wanted to give you as much time as possible.”

After going over a few logistics for the sculpture, Axel was excused from Aerith’s office. As he made his way back to his own work station, he felt a nervous clenching in the pit of his stomach. He had no idea what he was going to do for the installation, and he didn’t know how he was going to crawl out of his artistic slump.

But he couldn’t let his team down. Aerith had said it would be an honor to have his work, but Axel felt _he_ should be the one honored by the offer. It meant a lot that his coworkers wanted his work to be a part of the project. He didn’t know what he was going to do or how he was going to do it, but Axel _would_ get it done.

 

A few days later, Axel found himself accompanying Leon out to the old lot to survey the area. Permits had been obtained, clearance had been given, and a construction company had been called. In just a few weeks, a crew would be out to tear away the old concrete foundation.

In the meantime, Axel and Leon were there to do what little work could be done beforehand, and to make sure everything looked good and ready to go before the crew actually showed up. Axel also planned to use it to start scoping out the section where his sculpture would go. Maybe get a little inspiration from the site itself.

So far, no luck. 

The plan was for the lot to be bordered by a row of hedges, with entrances on the north, west, and east sides. Axel’s sculpture would go on the west, and sit right at the entrance. Axel did his best to visualize what the area would look like, and where his work would stand. He stood around and stared at the spot. Circled it. Analyzed it. _Willed_ it to give him some kind of inspiration.

It gave him nothing and, frustrated, Axel was eventually forced to give up and go find Leon again. Fortunately, there was work to be done, so Axel could take his mind off his current predicament.

There was a bit of junk lying around the area. Things that had naturally just been discarded in the empty lot. Garbage, mostly. A couple trash bags, a rusted bike, some old planks of wood, a sheet of metal, and an old recliner Axel worried might house a raccoon or other wild animal. 

Leon suggested they move the stuff — haul it off to a proper dumpster nearby — and Axel agreed. All in all, it didn’t take very long. The recliner was the worst part, but no angry mammal jumped out to attack them as they struggled to move it, so Axel considered that a win.

“That should about do it. Any remaining debris can just be hauled off by the construction crew,” Leon said, dusting his hands off on his pants. He pulled out his phone to check the time. “It’s a little after one o’clock, so I’d say that’s a good stopping point for now. Go ahead and take your lunch.”

“Sure thing.” Axel nodded. “I’m gonna look around and just pick up a sandwich or somethin’. You coming with?”

Leon shook his head, still messing with his phone. “No, I’m gonna make some calls. You go on ahead, and I’ll see you in about an hour.”

“Aye, aye!” Axel mock saluted his coworker and sauntered off to hunt down some food. He wasn’t terribly familiar with this part of town, but with work on the lot gearing up, he figured he’d be down here often and would become acquainted pretty fast.

After a bit of searching, he rounded a corner and came to a stop when a familiar head of blond hair caught his attention.

The witch — Roxas — was standing at the corner. He was dressed in black pants with black suspenders, and a dark grey, button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A faded gray satchel hung from his hip, and a plastic grocery bag was hooked in the crook of his elbow. He hadn’t noticed Axel yet, too busy staring at a vending machine with a slight frown.

“Yo, Roxas!” Axel called as he made his way towards the young man. 

Roxas jumped, startled out of his concentration. He looked up as Axel approached, and relaxed when he recognized who had called him. 

“Funny runnin’ into you here. Good to see you again, though.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Roxas’ mouth and he nodded. “Same to you. Do you work around here, ah…” He paused, and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I actually didn’t catch your name last time.”

Axel chuckled. “No worries! It’s Axel. And nah, I don’t work around here. Or, well, I kinda do now I guess, but my office isn’t around here. I’m just in the area on business. What about you? Not manning the shop today?”

Roxas shrugged. “Technically it’s open, but I get more customers in the evening than during the day, so, now’s when I tend to run errands and get other work done.” He held up the small grocery bag a bit to emphasize his point. “Besides, when you’re a witch, people tend to not get too uppity about your schedule. But what about you? You said you were here for work?” He shot Axel a smirk. “Your new found wealth hasn’t got you slacking off, has it?”

Axel barked out a laugh. “Nah, nothing like that! I’m just on my lunch break. Oh! I know! If you haven’t eaten already you should come with!”

Roxas’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he faltered a little. “Oh, uh... Really? I mean, I don’t want to impose or anything.”

“Nah, it’s fine! Get something better to eat than whatever junk is in there,” he said, motioning to the vending machine.

Roxas seemed to contemplate the offer for a moment, eyeing Axel carefully as he thought. Then, he smiled again and nodded.“Yeah, sure. Why not?”

 

After a bit of wandering, the two settled on a burger place a few blocks away. They noticed it when Roxas pointed out the creepy black bird mascot placed outside the building; some gaudy crow statue in a green jumpsuit and hat. After having a laugh and Roxas’ initial refusal to go anywhere near the thing, they decided _‘to hell with it’_ , and went inside. 

The place was your classic, old school diner, complete with checkered floor, vinyl seating, and a permanent greasy smell in the air. 

They ordered at the counter, with Axel insisting he pay for Roxas’ meal. “My treat! For helping me out.”

Roxas had leveled him with another one of his dubious looks, but eventually relented, and when they were handed their number, they went to find themselves a seat.

“So,” Axel began as he plopped himself into a booth, and Roxas climbed in across from him. “What made you set up shop in Radiant Garden? You’re not originally from around here, are you?”

Roxas shook his head. “No, I grew up in Twilight Town. I opened my shop a few years after my training ended, and I’ve traveled around a bit since. This place was neutral ground away from Elysium, and I know a couple people in town, so I thought maybe I’d settle here next.”

Axel nodded. With the way Roxas’ shop popped up out of nowhere, he figured the kid had some magical way of simply moving it from place to place. And staying in a place not associated with the capital — Elysium — made sense. The capital was the power center for the Sages, who notoriously disliked witches. Steering clear of any place under their control seemed like common sense. 

Of course, Axel decided to not get too deep into that kind of conversation. “Ah, I see. Lots of friends here then?”

“Not really, no. I know... about two, maybe three people here?” Roxas said as he idly played with the straw in the fountain drink he’d ordered.

“Wait...” Axel did some quick math in his head, estimating when he first heard of a witch being in town. “Haven’t you been here for like, a month or two, at least? You haven’t made friends or anything yet?”

Roxas just chuckled and gave a weak shrug. “I guess I just don’t get out much? Anyway, what about you? Are you from around here?”

Before he could answer, their number was called and Axel got up to grab their food. Upon returning, he deposited their meals into the table, and immediately began to dig into his fries. “Anyway, nah I’m not from here either. I moved here for school, but originally I’m from Midgar.”

“I’ve heard that place is huge.”

“Sure is,” Axel agreed and took a bite of his burger. “And before you ask, yes the city sectors really _are_ built one on top of the other. You ever think public transport here is confusing? Try navigating a multi level train system.”

Roxas chuckled. “You ever get lost on them?”

“Hell yeah I did! First time it happened I was only like, five or six.”

Roxas watched him with an amused expression, clearly waiting for Axel to elaborate. So he did.

“See, my older brother — by the time he was in middle school, our parents decided he was old enough to navigate his way home after school on his own. The caveat being he had to take his little brother, i.e. me, with him. As you can imagine, he wasn’t too thrilled at having to chaperone his little brother around, so he wasn’t always the most attentive.” 

Across from him, Roxas had started on his own burger, but his attention was squarely on Axel as he spoke.

“Well, one day, we were on our way home, and like usual, Reno didn’t wanna hold my hand to make sure I was keeping up with him. And me, being the air headed kiddo I was, wasn’t paying attention either, and ended up just following some other random kid who had the same school uniform. 

“Three trains later, I grabbed their hand, but when I looked up, surprise, surprise! Not my brother. When I realized I had followed some stranger, and Reno was nowhere in sight, and I had no fucking idea where I was, I did the mature and reasonable thing, and began bawling my eyes out.”

Roxas shot Axel a sympathetic look and snorted a little as he tried to hold back his laughter. “I’m assuming they found you eventually?”

“Oh sure. Apparently Mr. Tough Guy Reno had also freaked the fuck out and started bawling when he realized he lost me. Eventually, train workers got us back together and on our way home safe and sound. We didn’t even get in trouble. I think our parents figured we’d suffered enough to learn our lesson.”

Roxas let out an amused huff and munched on a couple more French fries. “Sounds like an intense place. You ever go back to visit?”

“Sometimes.” Axel shrugged and leaned back in his seat a a bit. He stretched out his long legs and propped his feet up on the booth seat next to Roxas. “My brother still lives there, so I go to see him now and then. What about you? You got any family you go visit back home?”

“My grandpa still lives in Twilight Town, so I go see him now and then. My brother moved out ‘bout the same time I did though, so it’s pretty much just Grandpa back home.”

“Is your brother a witch too? Or like, your granddad, I guess?”

Roxas shook his head. “Nope, just me.”

“Huh. So... who trained you? You mentioned training and like... did you go to school for that?” Then, excitedly, “Are there schools for magic and witches?”

“No, no.” Roxas shook his head again and chuckled. “It’s more like, hmm... like an apprenticeship. Witches train under a mentor, until said mentor deems them ready to go out into the world on their own.”

“Ah. Did you enjoy your apprenticeship?”

“I did. It was... nice to move away and study magic. And my mentors were wonderful.”

Axel sipped his drink, idling chewing on the plastic straw as he regarded Roxas. “You had more than one?”

“Three, actually. Sisters. It’s not the norm for someone to have more than one teacher, but apparently the three of them always work together, even when mentoring.”

“Huh, I mean... that’s cool for them I guess. I personally can’t imagine _choosing_ to always work with my brother though.”

“Same.” Roxas said with a fond smile and roll of his eyes.

Axel laughed, then glanced at his phone to check the time. Muttering under his breath, he noted it was about time he got back to work. And, as much as he found himself enjoying Roxas’s company, he figured he should let the witch get back to his own duties.

“Well, this has been fun, but we should probably get going,” he said with a sigh and peeled himself from the booth’s vinyl seat. Roxas rose as well, and once they had thrown their trash away and gotten a drink refill to go, they were out the door.

To Axel’s surprised, when he told Roxas where he was headed, Roxas opted to walk with him, claiming it was in the same direction he was going.

“ _This_ is where you’re working?” Roxas asked when they stopped at the entrance to the old lot.

“This is it! I work with a restoration committee, so while I know it’s not much to look at now, hopefully in the next year or so we’ll have this place turned into a nice public square. Get some grass growing, put in a fountain and flowers and stuff. Spruce it up real good.”

“Wouldn’t have pegged you as some kind of charitable public works kinda guy.” Roxas examined Axel with a raised brow and curious smile. “Most people don’t.” Axel shrugged. “But...I dunno. It’s nice, I guess, to do something that gives back? Even if most of the job is paperwork and tedium, it’s… yeah, it feels good.”

“That _does_ sound nice.” Roxas hummed as he looked out over the currently vacant area. After a moment, he shook himself out of his quiet contemplation and turned back to Axel. “Thank you again, for lunch. I had fun. I really don’t get out enough. Here,” he reached into the grocery bag he’d been carrying and dug around a little, before procuring a single plum. “I picked some of these up today. Have one.”

Axel stared in confusion at the dark fruit offered out to him. He cocked a brow and reached for the plum. “Should I really be taking fruit from a witch? It’s not poisoned or anything is it?” He winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “Shit. Wait. That’s not, like, offensive or anything is it?”

But Roxas just chuckled. “That’s only apples,” he teased, and Axel relaxed again. “For real though. It’s custom where I come from to give a gift when ground has been broken on a new home, or shop, or in this case, public space. It’s good luck. Not magical good luck, but... tradition, I guess.”

“And if I _do_ need magical luck?”

“Then you know where to find me. See you around, Axel.” Roxas shot him one last smile before he turned and headed off down the street, presumably back towards his little shop.

Axel watched him go, then looked down at the plum, turning it over in his hand.

“Weird guy,” he said to no one in particular, but couldn’t help but smile. Taking a bite of the sweet fruit, he turned and meandered back into the vacant lot, ready to get back to work.

Weird was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always the title comes from the song 'Matter of Time' by the Barenaked ladies.
> 
> Hey our main two finally get to talking! Sorry this is taking awhile, buuuut KH3 and whatnot!
> 
> And yes, the diner they ate at is totally the Crow's Nest from FFXV lol  
> Thank you to cameronclaire who is consistently the best beta reader, and thank you everyone who has commented an dgiven this fic kudos so far! It means a lot! ♥


	4. And I Kept Running For a Soft Place to Fall

“Axel!” 

Namine stood at the top of the steps leading up to her gallery and waved down at her friend as he made his way up to meet her. It had taken him another week and a half, but Axel had finally found a weekend to go and see his friend.

When he reached her, Axel engulfed the smaller woman in a big bear hug and held on until she was laughing and struggling to push him off.

“What? I thought you missed me!” he teased as he finally release her, but not before ruffling her usually perfect blond hair.

“I did! So I’d rather you not smother me to death before I get to properly see you!” She laughed and quickly smoothed out her ruffled locks. “Ah, and it _is_ good to see you. Let me get a look at you. Have you gotten taller?”

“I believe you may just be getting shorter, Nams,” he teased back, but Namine just smiled sweetly like she always did.

“Hm, maybe so. Now, come in, come in!” she hooked her arm through his and spun them around to enter the building. 

Namine’s dream in college had been to open up a small gallery, where she could host and sell artwork made, not only by herself, but by her friends and other Radiant Garden locals. She’d scrimped and saved for years, until she was finally able to open up her own place.

Wayfinder Gallery was a small building down on the south side of town, appropriately placed in the art district. A modern building with a bright white exterior, it sat on a little hill, next to a local, artsy coffee shop, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Axel wasn’t sure what the building had been before Namine bought and renovated it, but it felt perfect for her; like she’d always been meant to have it.

Axel was happy for her.

The inside of the building reflected the outside in its minimalist elegance. The ceiling was high for the building’s size, which kept the space feeling open and airy. The walls were just as white as the exterior, in contrast to the dark, polished marble floor. The simplicity was not only beautiful, but allowed the art within the building to stand out. 

The interior was a large, open plan. In her renovations, Namine had knocked down most of the walls, so the space could be one large room. If she needed more wall space, she would occasionally pull out temporary partitions, that could be arranged and moved at will. Aside from that, the space was split into sections only by slight changes in elevation. Certain areas of the room were elevated up one step, to keep the room from seeming too flat, and to elevate and showcase a sculpture or art piece of choice.

Paintings hung along the walls, each lit with spotlights and identified with a small plaque beneath. The center of the room was filled with an array of sculptures, statues, pottery, and installations. Namine tried to keep them organized by style, but it was still a mish-mash, due to her collecting from various artists all around town. Still, it was beautiful.

From the look of things, it appeared there were more installations than the last time Axel had visited.

“Looks like your place is getting more popular,” he mused as they wandered through the space. Their footsteps echoed as they walked across the polished marble floor.

“It is!” Namine smiled. “A local arts and culture site put a small article about it online a few months ago. Since then, I’ve been gradually finding more artists who want their work displayed and sold here. Don’t worry though, you know I’ll always have room for you.” She patted Axel’s arm. “And speaking of which...”

Right on cue, they stopped in front of a familiar collection of sculptures. One was a white rabbit, with the tips of its ears and feet dyed black, and its fur intricately carved into swirling patterns. Another was a black deer, its neck arched backwards, allowing sculpted flowers to protrude from a line down its neck and torso. The last was a snarling wolf, with those same swirling patterns in its fur, painted a pale blue with gold eyes.

Each life-sized figure had been meticulously hand sculpted by Axel well over two years ago. He had painstakingly carved each swirl of fur, each delicate looking plant, and every sharp tooth. 

Axel was proud of them. He’d been struggling with his inspiration and drive, and the longer the pieces sat in the gallery, the more Axel had begun to think of them as failures. Of himself as a failure. But looking at them now, Axel felt he was seeing them with fresh eyes. He was reminded just how much work he’d put into them, and he was proud.

“The fox is gone,” he finally realized, noting the empty pedestal in the center.

Next to him, Namine nodded. “Yup. Someone came in, looked around the whole gallery, stopped in front of your work, and told me that’s the one they wanted.”

“Were you surprised?”

“What, that they bought something on the spot, or that they bought something _you_ made?” she asked, giving Axel a cheeky grin. “Because you know those will be two different answers. And you also know it’s always surprising when someone buys something right away.”

Axel gave her a playful shove, and she nudged him right back. 

“Ah, but before we do anything else; business first.”

Though most of the building was gallery space, it did house a couple other rooms in the back. One was a large storage space for artwork not yet being showcased, while the other housed a small office area, where Namine could handle the business side of her gallery. It was into that second room that Namine led Axel. 

It felt a little weird to Axel to accept payment from his friend, but the process was over and done with quickly enough. Axel would get the largest portion of the payment, while Namine took a small cut for herself to support the gallery. Namine wrote him out a check and tucked it away in an envelope before handing it over to Axel.

“Thanks, little lady,” Axel said as he stowed the check safely in his messenger bag. “Now, as promised, how ‘bout I treat you to lunch?” He slung his arm over his much smaller friend’s shoulder. Namine had given up on persuading Axel not to treat her, and happily let him lead them out the door.

A short walk later found them seated at one of Namine’s favorite haunts; a little cafe down by the river that was run by perhaps the nicest elderly couple in town.

“So, tell me how things have been,” Namine said after they sat down and ordered. She leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands eagerly.

“Well, we finally got clearance at work to clean up that old lot,” Axel said, pausing to thank their waiter as he returned with the pair’s drinks.

“Oh! The one with the fire last year? That’s wonderful!”

Axel nodded. “That’s the one. Looks like we get a bit of free reign with it too.”

He proceeded to narrate the whirlwind that had been his past few weeks to his friend, though he left out the part about Roxas. He knew Namine wouldn’t judge him for going to see a witch, but Axel felt oddly self conscious about admitting it. He also wasn’t sure how much attention Roxas wanted either, so for the time being, he kept that bit of information close to his chest.

Instead, he detailed the plans they had for the old lot. How they were gonna bring the whole area back to life, and of course, how Axel had been asked personally to provide a sculpture for the space.

Namine’s eyes lit up. “Axel, that’s amazing! You must be excited.”

At that point their waiter returned with their food. After thanking the man, Axel leaned back in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck. “I... yes. I’m excited. Or at least a part of me is. The other part of me is nervous as hell.”

Namine paused and looked back up from her meal. “Why’s that?”

“Well... I still don’t have much inspiration. I have no idea what to actually _make_ for the place. I keep hoping something will come to me, but it doesn’t.”

Namine hummed and pushed some of the salad around on her plate as she thought. “Well... I wish I had some better advice for you, but I think all you can do right now is keep trying. Keep working through it and trying to come up with ideas, and eventually something will stick.”

Axel just sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“You’ll think of something. And you know, when you _do_ get your inspiration back, I’m gonna want a new piece for the gallery too,” she nudged in sing-song voice.

Axel snorted. “You know you could just put another artist’s work up, yeah?”

“Nope! That spot is specifically reserved for redheads named Axel. And since there’s only one that I know of...”

“Don’t you have a couple of my other works in storage? You could just pull out one of those.”

“Hmm, I suppose I could. Maybe I will. But, I’d also love something new from you, once you’ve... gotten out of your slump.”

Axel smiled. A small part of him still feared he’d never be able to sculpt again. But Namine’s support was nice. He wanted to make something new for her. He really did. 

And he was about to say so, when Namine’s phone chimed from inside her purse. 

“Ah, one sec,” she apologized as she pulled the device from her bag. Axel noticed she’d added more dangling charms to it since last he’d seen her. 

Axel waited and watched as a fond smile spread across Namine’s face as she checked her new message. He grinned mischievously when she finally put the device away.

“Oh-ho! What was that look for?”

“What look?” Namine asked.

“That smitten smile you just had. Oh Nami, don’t tell me you have yourself a crush on someone?” he teased. Truthfully, he didn’t think she did, but he liked to fluster his friend when the chance arose.

And sure enough, Namine’s pale cheeks turned a bright pink, which spread all the way to the tips of her ears. “I-I don’t!” she retorted just a little too quickly. “I mean... it’s not a crush _anymore_. She’s... my girlfriend.”

Axel had chosen the wrong time to take a drink. He promptly choked and sputtered on his water. “ _What?_ ” he wheezed once he was done coughing. “You have a girlfriend? And you didn’t _tell_ me?!”

By then, Namine was laughing and handing Axel some napkins. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you!”

Axel wiped his mouth and cleaned up a bit of the water he’d spilled on himself. When he was finished, he leaned forward on the table, eager to hear more. “Well? Tell me about her! What’s her name? How long have you known her? Do _I_ know her?”

“No, you don’t know her.” Namine shook her head. “Her name’s Xion. She’s lived here for a couple years, but I just met her, oh... eight or nine months ago? She visited my gallery and we just... hit it off I guess.” Namine’s smile turned soft, and she idly played with the ends of her hair. “We started dating four of five months ago. I never told you because, well... it was so soon after Saix left,” her voice softened a bit, and she winced, as though even mentioning Axel’s ex was blasphemy. “It just... always seemed in poor taste to bring it up when I saw you.”

“Oh Nami...” Axel sighed. “I wouldn’t have been angry at you for finding someone. I’m happy for you. Now,” before things could get too gloomy, Axel reached across the table and ruffled the woman’s hair for the second time that day, earning him an indignant squawk, “you know I’m gonna want to meet her. Make sure she’s a good match for our dear, sweet Namine.”

Namine quickly smoothed her blond hair back down. “Hm, well... are you busy next weekend? Xion’s coming over for dinner. You should come too.”

“I appreciate it, but I don’t really wanna third-wheel your date.” He chuckled.

“It’s not a date. Xion’s already bringing another friend. You really should come. I’d like you to meet her.”

Axel mulled over the offer. He _did_ want to meet Namine’s new girlfriend. And he wasn’t busy that weekend, so there wasn’t any conflict of interests there.

He had no reason to say no. And, for the first time in months, Axel found he didn’t want to.

 

The next weekend found Axel making his way up to Namine’s apartment.

The week had flown by much faster than he’d expected. As usual, work was keeping him busy. Luckily plans were moving along smoothly. It was just a lot to get done.

The one thing that was not progressing was his work on the sculpture. Try as he might, nothing came to him. For now, at least, work kept him busy enough in other avenues that he could just claim distraction.

With all that keeping him occupied, the weekend actually snuck up on him. Not that he was complaining. He was excited to see his friend again for longer than their brief lunch date. And he was looking forward to (politely) interrogating her new beau.

So that’s how he found himself knocking on Namine’s door just a few minutes before 6 pm. He’d dressed a little nicer for the occasion: a red button up and black slacks. He wanted to give a good impression, but he wondered if he’d overdressed, and if he should have just come in his usual casual attire. Probably.

Namine lived on the east side of town, in a high rise not unlike Axel’s. Except hers was newer. Sleeker. He’d asked her once why she didn’t live down south in the art district, to which she just laughed.

_“Because I like to sleep,”_ she’d said. _“Us artsy people are fun and all, but you and I both know we don’t always keep regular hours. Especially when we’re college students.”_ And there were a lot of college students. Axel remembered being one not too long ago, and he’d been a hellish night owl then too. _“The art district doesn’t sleep much, and neither did I. So I moved here!”_

When the door opened, it was not Namine that greeted him, but someone Axel didn’t recognize. She had big, blue eyes and raven black hair that was cut into a choppy bob that framed her face. Axel stared dumbfounded down at her, but she just grinned excitedly.

“Is this him?” she called as Namine rounded the corner behind her.

Namine chuckled and joined them as Axel scooted into the entryway, and the dark haired stranger shut the door. “That’s him! Xion, this is Axel. Axel, Xion.”

With the pieces in place, Axel smiled warmly down at the young woman, who already had her hand out for his. He took it and gave it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you. I’d say I’ve heard so much about you, but _someone_ failed to spill her secrets,” he joked, earning a laugh from Xion and an eye roll from Namine.

“Well no worries, we have plenty of time to get to know each other! And to share stories about Namine.” 

Namine made an offended noise, clearly in jest, and Xion laughed. 

“Now, come in, come in. Do you drink? I brought wine!” Xion said, already trailing back towards the kitchen.

“Ah sure, thanks.” Axel nodded. Namine stayed at his side, waiting patiently as he removed his shoes and set down his messenger bag, before they both wandered into the apartment proper.

Namine’s place matched her perfectly, decorated mostly in an array of white and cream, with accents of blue and gold. String lights were hung up around the ceiling and across a couple shelves, and various paintings were either hung on her walls or set to the side to be hung up or moved later. She was one of the few people Axel knew who could decorate her home almost entirely in white and still have it feel warm and cozy as opposed to sterile.

Nearing the kitchen, Axel could hear some chatter, and assumed it must be Xion and her friend. What he didn’t expect when he rounded the corner into the room, was to see another familiar face.

Xion busied herself with pouring a glass of wine, while sitting on the counter opposite her, and nursing his own glass, was Roxas. 

Axel stopped in the entryway to the kitchen, Roxas went quiet mid sentence, and the two simply stared at each other.

Then, Roxas huffed out a small laugh. “You seem to be popping up everywhere these days.”

Xion and Namine had both also stopped and were watching them curiously. “You two... know each other?” Xion finally asked as she re-corked the wine bottle.

“We’ve met.”

“Down south!” Axel added, perhaps a little too quickly. “We... met downtown. My work has a new project down there, and Roxas’ shop is in the area so... yeah, we met.”

Roxas raised a brow, clearly noting how Axel failed to mention the exact nature of their meeting. But he deigned not to comment.

“Ah, well that makes sense.” Xion nodded. “Well, here! Here’s to making new friends!” She handed Axel his glass of wine, and lifted her own in a toast.

Axel smiled and took a sip, making an appreciative noise. It tasted _good_. It was sweet, without being too sugary, and left his tongue tingling slightly. Almost unnaturally.

“Like it?” Xion asked.

Axel nodded. “Yeah, this is good stuff.”

Roxas spoke up again from his perch on the counter. “Of course it’s good. It’s a witch’s brand, after all. Charmed to taste different to suit the preferences of the individual drinking it.”

“ _Roxas!_ ” Xion gasped and spun to give her companion a shocked look. But he just chuckled and waved her off, looking unfazed.

“He already knows I’m a witch. It’s cool.”

Xion let out a heavy sigh, the sudden tension in her shoulders melting away. “But, I already told him _I_ brought it! Now he knows I’m one too!” she whined.

Roxas did have the decency to look sheepish at that. “Oops. Sorry.”

Xion recovered quickly, however, and shook her head with a small huff before she turned back to Axel. “Well, there you have it; I’m also a witch.”

Axel blinked, perplexed by the sudden revelation, before spinning to look back at Namine. The woman just smiled and shrugged, before going to her girlfriend’s side. “Yeah, I knew already.”

“Huh. Well, that’s cool. Just a few weeks ago, I didn’t know any witches, and now I know two.” Axel nodded and flashed a small smile. He went to lean against the counter next to Roxas. With his spot on the counter Roxas was almost at eye level with Axel. Almost. “So, how’d you two meet?”

“We met when we both started training to be witches,” Xion answered.

“Did you have the same, uh... mentors?” he asked, recalling a bit of what Roxas had already told him. 

Xion shook her head.“No, we just had some classes together.”

Axel frowned and shot Roxas a look. “You said there weren’t magic schools. What’s this about classes?”

Roxas, who was about to take a drink, just snorted and lowered his glass. “They weren’t _magic classes_ or anything. Witches may train under mentors, but we _do_ also need to learn, you know... basic math and history and writing. So, we took supplementary classes a couple times a week, to make sure we knew the basics and didn’t fall behind the rest of society.” 

Roxas motioned towards Xion. “We were the same age when we went off to train, so we ended up in the same classes. Xion was one of the first people I met when I arrived at Traverse Town, even before our classes or our mentors came to pick us up.”

“We were two nervous kids who had no idea what we were doing,” Xion added. “We hit it off right away and have been friends since.”

“But, enough about us. How did you and Namine meet?” Roxas asked, directing the question towards Axel.

“Art school.” The two said together. 

Namine chose to clarify. “We both attended the University for the Arts here. I was in the painting and illustration classes, and Axel was in sculpture and modeling.”

“Oh, that’s right! Those are your statues in the gallery! Namine showed them to me,” Xion said. “They’re very nice.”

“Thank you.” Axel smiled, then waved his hand to shoo the attention off of himself. “ _Anyway!_ I still haven’t heard how the most interesting meet-cute in the room happened!” He gave both Namine and Xion A Look.

“Well,” Roxas spoke up next to him, before either of the women had a chance, and Axel noticed the sly grin he wore. “I can tell you that months ago, before I moved here, I got a call from Xion.” He then pitched his voice up slightly to mimic his friend’s voice, “ _‘Roxas! I just met the prettiest girl at an art gallery! Oh, she was so pretty, and cute, and I could barely make coherent sentences! Roxas, how do I talk to women?!’_ ” He huffed out a laugh. “As if _I’d_ know.”

“ _Roxaaaas!_ ” Xion whined, having gone beet red. Next to her, Namine was looking very much the same, though she couldn’t seem to help the embarrassed smile that tugged at her lips.

“What, it was cute!” he laughed, then leaned in a little closer to Axel. “Between you and me,” he said, obviously still loud enough for Xion to hear. “I actually moved here to keep an eye on my gay disaster of a best friend.”

Axel snorted, and Xion reached across the kitchen counter to swat at the blond. “Like _you’re_ one to talk!”

Across from him, Namine was still blushing all the way to the tips of her ears, and laughing. 

And Axel decided he liked these kids.

As it turned out, Namine had ordered food for them. Despite all her talents, the woman couldn’t cook to save her life, and since she wanted to treat everyone, she refused to let Xion help in the kitchen. Since she had no real dining room or table to speak of, they all sat on the floor around her coffee table, sharing and passing around various takeout boxes.

It was only a little difficult for Axel to squeeze in with them, with his long legs and all. But he managed. Namine was seated across from him, and happily moved over when he needed to stretch his limbs a bit. 

Over the course of the meal, the four shared stories from their school and apprenticeship days. Axel and Namine regaled their guests with the time Axel and their friend Demyx snuck into the paint supplies and raided all the empty tubes that had been thrown into the trash. They then painstakingly cleaned and refilled each with various condiments, and put them back in the supply room.

It was a good laugh until one student didn’t realize his cadmium yellow was actually Dijon mustard before it was on the canvas.

Namine had berated them, but never actually ratted them out. She was loyal like that.

In return, Xion and Roxas told them about the prank bombs they’d learned to make during their first year of apprenticeship. Apparently, they were something like a glitter bomb, only instead of firing glitter when opened, the parcels shot off a spell that turned everything in the room — items and occupants and all — a bright color of the caster’s choosing. It would wear off in about twenty four to forty eight hours, but until then you were stuck being magically dyed head to toe.

Roxas and Xion had liked to send such packages to each other now and then once they’d completed their training and moved away. It was all well and good until one went off in Roxas’ shop while customers were there. The whole place, Roxas and customers included, had been turned neon pink for the next two days.

Roxas left town not long after, and the magic parcels stopped between the two.

“Still,” the blond admitted with a good natured smile. “It was pretty funny.”

 

The way the two traded jabs and witty banter reminded Axel a little of they way he and Saix once were, and for a moment Axel felt himself slipping back into an all too familiar melancholy. 

That was, until Xion hit Roxas with a particularly witty remark that made Axel nearly choke on the bite of food he’d just taken. He was sent into a fit of simultaneously coughing and laughing, and was pulled back into the moment. 

And in said moment, he was with one old, dear friend, and two brand new ones. And despite what he’d lost, that was a pretty good place to be.

 

“So, wait hold on. What all _can_ you do? Can you levitate stuff?”

After dinner, Axel found himself in the living room with Roxas. Namine had decided she wanted to make cookies for everyone, and since Xion was not about to let her do that unsupervised, the two had set up shop in the kitchen together.

Seeing that they’d be no help, and would more than likely be intruding on a bit of a couple’s moment, both Axel and Roxas had gotten a second glass of wine and retreated back to the couch.

Axel had made himself comfy on one end, one leg tucked underneath him, while Roxas had perched himself up on the opposite arm rest. The TV was on, but the volume was low and neither was really paying attention to it. Rather, Axel was trying to wheedle out more information about witches and magic from his new blond friend.

Roxas, for his part, seemed happy to humor him. “Well, yes, but mostly small things. I can’t levitate anything much larger than, say, a cardboard box. And even that’s a bit of a struggle at times.”

“Why’s that?” 

Roxas just shrugged. “Didn’t train to levitate anything heavier.”

Axel was about to take another sip of his drink, but paused and regarded Roxas with a raised brow. “What do you mean? You can’t just learn to levitate everything across the board? Why only learn to levitate small things?”

“Small things are part of general witchcraft education. Anything much larger takes more work and becomes specialized training. I chose to specialize in other subjects,” Roxas said.

“Okay... But, why would that be specialized? Why wouldn’t everyone learn to levitate larger objects?” Axel pressed. Seemed like it would be useful to be able to lift larger objects as well as small ones.

“Well,” Roxas paused and thought for a moment. “You know basic math, right?” Axel nodded, and Roxas continued. “Okay, so do you know advanced physics? Aerodynamics? Rocket science?”

“Okay, okay fair enough.” Axel chuckled and raised a hand in defeat. “So, everyone just learns a lot of basic spells before moving on to specialize in something.”

Roxas nodded. “Basically, yeah. It’s not so much different from your schools, in that sense. We learn the things that will be useful in everyday life, but have to specialize to move beyond that.” As if to demonstrate, Roxas motioned to the TV remote on the now clean coffee table, and, with a flick of his wrist, the small gadget sprung into the air and gently bobbed a couple feet above its initial resting place.

Axel watched in awe, and lifted his free leg to swipe his foot through the space beneath the remote, as if testing for some kind of trick. There wasn’t any, of course, and he heard Roxas chuckling from his end of the couch.

“It’s just the basics, really. Mostly only handy for when I need to move things around on my shop shelves. But anyway,” he flicked his wrist and the remote gently sailed toward Axel, landing in his lap. “What about you? You were telling us about art school a while ago. What do you do again?”

“Sculpting,” Axel replied simply.

“Right. But, you don’t do it professionally? Like Namine? I mean, you work with that committee and all...”

Axel huffed out a small laugh. “Kid, I dunno if you’ve noticed, but it’s not exactly easy to be 100% a professional artist. Even Namine is technically running a business alongside being an artist. Besides,” he paused to take a sip of his wine, “people are more inclined to buy a painting than a big sculpture. Easier to hang on a wall.”

Roxas hummed and nodded a little. “I guess that makes sense. Still, it’s pretty cool. I wouldn’t mind seeing your work sometime.”

“Well, you already know I got a few pieces up in Nami’s gallery. You could easily see those,” he responded, idly watching the remainder of his wine swirl in his glass.

Roxas made a noise of acknowledgement, but it sounded a bit distracted. When Axel looked back up at the man, he noticed his attention was on the TV, expression a little cloudier than before. When Axel turned to look for himself, he saw it was a news broadcast, detailing events going on at the capital.

“Maester Eraqus meets with Chancellor Ardyn and Grand Sage Ansem to discuss peaceful resolutions and liberties of the witch community,” read the text scrawled at the bottom of the report.

On the screen, three men were shown talking amongst themselves.

Axel recognized Ansem. The old man had been the Grand Sage since Axel was a small kid. As the appointed leader of the sages, he was a prominent political figure, both among the sages and regular folk alike. 

The second of the three was about the same age as Ansem, though he had pitch black hair, contrasting with Ansem’s graying blond. Axel vaguely recognized him as Maester Eraqus, appointed leader and speaker for the witches. Axel knew very little about him. Eraqus, like the witches in general, seemed to keep to himself, only dabbling in wider political affairs when absolutely needed.

That left the third man. Slightly younger, with wild burgundy hair and draped in intricate and heavy looking robes. Axel could only assume that was the Chancellor. Axel couldn’t say he’d heard of him before.

Glancing back at Roxas, he noted the man was still watching the screen with a frown.

“Everything alright?”

Roxas blinked a few times, and peeled his gaze off the news report. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry.”

“Political trouble, or something?” He motioned towards the TV. “I’ll be honest, I don’t really pay attention to that stuff too much.”

“Ah, yeah something like that.” Roxas nodded. Slowly, he slid from his spot on the couch’s armrest, and plopped down on the seat properly with a huff. “Maester Eraqus has been meeting with Ansem and the Chancellor about lifting restrictions and abolishing the harsher policies aimed at the witch community.”

Axel didn’t know much about the policies between the communities. He was vaguely aware that , while sages were practically an exalted religion and political faction, witches were looked down upon and outright detested in some places. But, those places always seemed distant and far away. Small, old towns stuck in their ways.

“Well that’s... good, right?”

Roxas ran a hand through his blond locks and sighed. “Yeah, it... yeah, I guess it’s good. I guess I just don’t really know why the Maester is doing this now of all times, and I don’t really trust those three to get much done.” 

“You don’t trust them to make any progress?”

Roxas snorted and shot Axel a flat look. “They’re _politicians_. Of course not. But on top of that, I know what kind of politicians they are. Ansem is old and stuck in his ways. He’s not overtly cruel or greedy like some of the sages beneath him, but he is strict, and has played a hand in keeping restrictions on witches in place for years, as well as keeping up the same old ‘witches can be dangerous’ rhetoric. Eraqus on the other hand...” Roxas blew out a breath, as if to say ‘where to start?’

“Eraqus is also old and stuck in his ways. He’s a witch, but... he comes from a line of thought that says if witches are just obedient and peaceful long enough, the restrictions will be lifted on their own, by merit of us... ‘being good’, I guess. As if we’re all just _grounded_ or something.”

“That... doesn’t sound like it would work. Like, at all,” Axel mumbled. 

“Congrats, you’re officially smarter than that whole faction of thought!” 

Axel chuckled humorlessly. “And what about the third guy? The Chancellor?”

Roxas shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know a whole lot about him. He’s new in the political sphere but... he always comes off kinda scummy in interviews. But then, so do a lot of his kind. Politicians, that is. Anyway,” he finished the last sip of his drink and leaned forward to set his glass down on the coffee table, “like I said, I guess it’s good they’re trying to do this. I’m just... skeptical, ‘s all.”

“Hmm, well at least you live here and don’t have to worry about that stuff too much, yeah?” 

From the sound of it, things were rough for some witches in the world, but Radiant Garden was a welcoming city. Roxas and Xion were safe here as far as Axel was aware.

Roxas didn’t have a chance to respond, because at that moment, Xion and Namine returned from the kitchen. Cookies were in the oven, and the two women rejoined the conversation to pass the time. The TV was turned off and quiet music was turned on in its place. At one point, it was suggested that they could play a game of cards or something, but in the end they spent most of the evening just talking. Xion and Roxas were surprisingly easy to get along with, considering how briefly Axel had known them, and it felt as natural to talk with them as it did Namine.

Xion , for her part, had been likeable from the moment he met her. She had a friendly demeanor and smile that drew him in. She was witty too, able to trade playful jabs that had Axel choking with laughter. Best of all, Axel like the way she looked at Namine. She had a certain smile reserved for the blond woman alone that Axel caught glimpses of now and again, and he approved.

It was Roxas though, that especially fascinated him.

Axel told himself it was just because Roxas himself was a fascinating person, and nothing more.

“So, you never told me; what exactly did you study as a witch?”

As the night wore down, and conversation between the four became softer and a little sleepy, Roxas decided it was time to pack it in and go home. Axel had agreed and decided he would take his leave with the man, purposefully ignoring the suspicious look Namine shot him.

The city streets were quiet on the east side of town — though they became more lively the closer to the south side they got — and were lit with warm glowing lamps along the cobbled walkways. The early June air was just warm enough to be comfortable, but absent of the sweltering heat that July and August would soon bring. 

Beside him, Roxas chuckled softly and shot Axel a playful smirk. “What do you think I studied?”

Axel thought for a moment, then winced, feeling a bit dumb. “Charms.”

“You got it.” Roxas nodded. “Charms was my primary education. My secondary was in traversal magic.” He paused, then elaborated when he saw Axel’s confused look. “You know, like the windows in my shop.”

“Ah.” Axel nodded. “Then, those windows really _are_ connected to a beach? That’s pretty cool. So, you can just... travel to wherever instantly?”

“Well, yes and no. I can if I have some kind of link to that place. The easiest is if I’ve been there before. I can connect to a place I’m familiar with no problem. The less familiar I am, the harder it is. I couldn’t, say, pop into an exact location in Midgar, for example. I’ve never been there and have no connection to the place through objects or other people. If I tried, I might get close, but it’s very likely I’d just step out into someplace miles away from the actual city.”

“Ah yeah, wouldn’t want that.” Axel chuckled. “Still, it’s pretty impressive, traversing time and space and whatnot.”

“Just space,” Roxas said. “I can’t time travel or anything.”

“Can any witches?”

Roxas laughed and shook his head. “No.”

Axel nodded and let the question drop. They walked on in companionable silence a little longer, before Roxas spoke up again. “Do you live down south?”

“Hmm?” Axel turned to look back down at the other man. “No, why?”

Roxas stopped and shot Axel a smile that was both a little fond and a little exasperated. Axel took the cue to look around, and only then realized he had walked the witch almost all the way back to his shop. Roughly two more blocks and they’d be there.

“Augh, no sorry, I live up north, actually. I guess I wasn’t paying much attention.” Axel rubbed the back of his neck.

Roxas rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Flattered as I am to have you as an escort, that is in the complete opposite direction. Did you take the train?”

Axel grimaced. “Yeah... and I probably need to catch mine before they shut down for the night. Wouldn’t be a problem if my bike was up and running...”

“You have a motorcycle?” Roxas asked, interest piqued. 

“Yeah! She rides like a dream too! Or, she will, when I get her up and running again. Soon. That’ll be real soon.” He shot Roxas a bit of a cheeky smirk. “I’ll have to take you for a ride once she’s in top form again.”

He was expecting a laugh or a roll of the eyes from the witch. But instead, Roxas just returned his smirk. “I think I’d like that.” And _oh_ , that did something funny to Axel’s stomach. “Buuuuut until then, you really should be catching your train.”

Axel chuckled and cleared his throat. “Yeah, yeah, right,” he said, then added a bit hopefully. “I’ll... see ya around?”

Roxas, already turning to part ways, looked back over his shoulder and smiled. “You know where to find me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I didn't forget about this story! I just needed to take a step back and rework some things. I kept wanting to add stuff and started to get overwhelmed, so I've been mentally restructuring it for awhile.  
> Thank you everyone for reading! And for those that have left comments, I'm terrible at responding, but I DO see them and appreciate it very much!♥
> 
> Anyway, thanks to cameronclaire for beta-ing this chapter!♥  
> Chapter titles is taken from 'Runaway' by AURORA.


End file.
